


Courtship confusions

by Destinee Zara (LadyDestineeZara)



Series: FrUk Anniversary Week 2016 [3]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M, There is just a brief mention of Seychelles, Time Travel, Time Travel mumbo jumbo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-30 22:15:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6443992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyDestineeZara/pseuds/Destinee%20Zara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you are a time traveller from the 24th Century, it is kinda hard to have a crush on your companion from the 19th Century. But, somehow, Francis managed (even if he missed some old fashioned gay references).<br/>(Written for the third day of the FrUk Anniversary Week 2016 on tumblr!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Courtship confusions

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello there =D
> 
> Welcome to the third day of the FrUk Anniversary Week 2016, "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy"!
> 
> First of all: Hetalia doesn’t belong to me. If it belonged, I would be the Queen of the world. Literally.
> 
> THIS STORY IS UNEDITED! So, pardon any English mistakes
> 
> This was made for the third day of the FrUk Anniversary Week 2016 on tumblr!
> 
> Characters names (in case you don’t know):  
> Arthur: APH England  
> Francis: APH France  
> Michelle: APH Seychelles
> 
> Just one last note before you start reading:  
> \- [text after dashes] = TALKING  
> (A Romance Language custom, I guess)
> 
> Now, to the story!

\- How is the courtship on your time period?

Francis, the time traveller, stopped what he was doing (fixing his time machine) and blinked surprised.

\- _Quoi_? [French: what?]

\- How. Is. The. Courtship. On. Your. Time? – his companion asked annoyed, like he always was when he had to repeat himself.

Arthur was an aristocrat in almost all senses of the word. He was the youngest son of the Kirkland family, therefore there was the possibility of him to have the title of Duke someday. He was born in 1873 in England. He was spoiled, sarcastic, quite obsessed in quoting Oscar Wilde and definitely not Francis’s first choice for a travelling companion. However, Arthur was very stubborn and Francis had needed him to fix his time machine during a trip to the 19th Century. Arthur had only helped him because the Frenchman agreed to take him on his travels through time.

Therefore, they become unusual partners in crime.

Lucky to Francis, Arthur revealed to be a very empathetic and gentle person with everyone that they met.

He would still be a tad rude to Francis, but the Frenchman could handle the spoiled nobleman. (Both loved their bickering sessions).

Francis crawled out from under his time machine and stared at Arthur with surprise.

\- Come again?

The Englishman rolled his eyes. He was blushing.

\- How do people court each other on your time, frog? – he smirked – Do the croak to call the attention of other frogs?

Francis was the one who rolled his eyes this time.

\- I heard you. You didn’t need to be so rude all the time.

\- Alright, let me rephrase then. Dearest frog, the froggiest of all frogs…

\- You are horrible.

The nobleman smirked.

\- You still let me come with you, though.

\- For reasons that I don’t know myself. – Francis sighed.

The truth was that he had kind of a crush on the sophisticated English aristocrat. He was smart, he was tough, he was elegant and he had a soft side that made the time traveller melt. However, he was deadly afraid that the English gentleman might be homophobic due to his original time period. He didn’t want to lose his companion and he didn’t want to strain their friendship. So Francis didn’t acted on his feelings.

Arthur leaned on the time machine, crossed his arms and stared at Francis with his intense green eyes.

\- You never answered my question.

The time traveller scratched the back of his head.

\- I don’t think there are any rules about it…

\- Huh? – Arthur blinked surprised – How cannot be any rules to courtship? How do people know then that they are interested?

Francis shrugged.

\- People just kind of know? – he shrugged – It is in the way they look at each other or the way they talk, I guess…

The Englishman chuckled

\- “The very essence of romance is uncertainty” huh? – he quoted from the Oscar Wilde works by heart.

\- Something like that.

\- So what people usually do when they are interested?

\- I don’t know.

\- What the bloody hell you mean that you don’t know?

\- That is because it doesn’t have a pattern to what people do. – he shrugged again – They usually go out on dates.

\- Dates? What dates? There is specific dates to go out with a love interest?

Francis laughed.

\- No, no, no. Dates means that couples would go out and have fun. I guess this new meaning to the word started on the 20th Century.

\- Ohhhhh. That is fascinating. – Arthur nodded – And what do you do on those “dates”?

\- Anything. There is no rules.

\- You are not helping at all.

Francis crossed his arms and frowned.

Arthur had never demonstrated any interest in romance. It was the opposite: he would mock pretty much all romantic situations that presented themselves to the two time travellers.

So why now? And why he was so interest in the courtship of the 24th Century?

Unless…

Francis felt his heart sink.

He had taken the Englishman a few time to his own timeline. They were there to try to fix Francis’s time machine (the Frenchman really needed a new one), and on some of those visits, Arthur had met Francis’s younger half-sister, Michelle.

Could it be that the 19th Century aristocrat had taken interest in his little sis back on the 24th Century?

Francis swallowed hard.

He wanted both of them to be happy, therefore he would try to help Arthur to get to his sister.

\- _Je suis desolé_ [French: I’m sorry]. It wasn’t my intention, but there is not a pattern to dates. The more traditional are dinner and movies, but anything goes, really.

Arthur nodded.

\- Are there any etiquette for those dinner dates?

\- Humm… Basically, you have to be nice? Making her feel like she is special.

\- She?

\- Your girlfriend.

\- Girl friend?

\- No, girlfriend, it is one word. It is the girl you like and are dating.

\- So she is your fiancée?

\- No. It would require an engagement to make the girl that you are dating be your fiancée.

\- What is the difference then?

Francis tapped his chin.

\- A girlfriend is kind of a step before the fiancée, when you are together but in an informal way.

\- And how do you know a person is available to courtship to begin with?

The Frenchman shrugged.

\- You have to ask her, basically.

Arthur blinked.

\- This is very confusing. Back on my time we knew a gal was available for courtship more easily.

\- How would you know?

The Englishman smiled.

\- Simple! By the way she held her fan!

Francis laughed.

\- _Oh Mon Dieu_! [French: Oh my God!] How old fashioned, _mon ami_ [French: My friend].

The nobleman rolled his eyes.

\- Yes, yes, thank you for reminding me how old fashioned I am when compared to you.

The time traveller chuckled.

\- Don’t worry. You just have to be your gentleman self  and be on time. She will love it.

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

\- Who is she?

\- The girl you are interested.

\- Oh… right… And how does a woman show interest in a fellow in your time?

Francis shrugged again.

\- She just… flirt back? I don’t know. There is no rules for that either.

\- And you say that my Century was the complicated one… - Arthur chuckled.

The Frenchman groaned.

\- I don’t know! They flirt and bat their eyelashes and stuff like that.

\- Like this?

Arthur got a little closer to Francis. The time traveller felt his face become red. The Englishman smiled and bated his eyelashes quickly. It was a tad ridiculous, but it made Francis heart beat fast.

\- That is an odd way to demonstrate that a woman is available, but I can relate to it. – he said blinking and staring deeply into Francis’s eyes.

The Frenchman gulped.

\- Not quite like that, but you got the main idea.

\- And then, what does she do?

It was becoming hard to think with Arthur being so close and smelling so nice (it was oddly floral, but that suited the 19th Century nobleman). Francis gulped again.

\- She may invite him to a date.

Arthur lost his smile and blinked in complete awe.

\- A woman CAN ask a fellow for a date? Doesn’t she have to wait for him to invite her?

\- Uhum. Many things changed in relation to women from your time to mine.

The nobleman nodded.

\- Ok. I’ll research that later.

\- You should do it soon, since you are going to invite her to a date.

\- For the love of the Lord, Francis, who is she? You keep bringing a she to our conversation.

\- Well, I assumed that you wanted to court a girl from my time.

\- I don’t know women from your time.

\- You know my sister…

\- Yes, yes. She is lovely, but not my type.

Francis frowned.

\- Is that because she is black?

\- No, of course not.

\- Why then? Is she not good enough for your spoiled tastes?

Arthur stared at him completely unimpressed.

\- I wonder in which century people lost their ability to see subtlety.

\- What the fuck do you mean with that?

The Englishman sighed.

\- You are really going to make me say that aloud aren’t you?

\- Say what, _rosbiff_? That you are a racist?

Arthur sighed again.

\- I’m not interested in your sister, not because she is black, but because she is a woman.

\- What the… - enlightenment struck Francis like a lightning bolt – Oh. _Oh_! OH!

Arthur’s cheeks were a little rosy.

\- I was hoping that was not a taboo…

\- Not at all! Not at all! Why haven’t you said anything before?

The Englishman rolled his eyes.

\- I have been quoting Oscar Wilde since we met, but apparently you didn’t got the reference.

The time traveller was speechless.

\- Oh. _Oh_! OH!

\- Will that be your answer for everything?

\- Oscar Wilde was gay! – Francis said dumbly.

Arthur blinked.

\- Hum… as far as I know he was in prison and I don’t think people can be happy in prison…

\- Gay is another word who gained a new meaning. It can mean homosexual.

\- Homosexual?

\- As in, a man who likes other man.

The Englishman become red as a ripped strawberry but he kept a straight face.

\- If that is the meaning of the term, I guess Mr. Wilde is gay.

\- And you were quoting him nonstop!

\- I’m aware of that.

\- And you wants to tell me that you are gay too! – Francis was agape and having troubles to express how wonderful that was – Arthur that is… that is-

\- Please stop.

Arthur was serious.

He took a deep breathe.

\- I’m sorry if I misunderstood your interest. There is no need to find the right word to insult me. You can ignore all what I said. And I’ll not quote anything again.

\- Oh, my God, Arthur! I’m not rejecting you! – Francis laughed – It is just that, on my time, being gay is common. Gay people can walk around together on dates and nobody would care.

He stared at Francis in awe again.

\- Fascinating… I’m kind of envious of your time period. And gay is not, you know… a bad word?

\- Not at all, _cher_ [French: dear], not at all.

They stared at each other for a few moments.

\- So… would want to invite me to a date? – Francis asked with a tiny smile and blushing.

Arthur opened a lopsided smile.

\- I would love to. I’m just afraid now that I would be too old fashioned for you. After all, the courtship of a man on my time had a completely different etiquette.

\- I could use a good old fashioned boyfriend! I like good old fashioned boyfriend!

Arthur raise an eyebrow.

\- Boyfriend?

\- Same as girlfriend, but, obviously, with a guy instead of a girl.

\- Charming. So, is seven o’clock good for you? There is a nice place on my time period. And I’m sure we can go to the theatre after that.

Francis beamed.

\- I’d love to!

\- Then hurry up and fix this silly machine. – Arthur chuckled – The date to our date – he giggled – is a few centuries from now.

Francis spend the rest of the day with a wide smile on his lips.

**Author's Note:**

> Making off of this story:
> 
> This story was done ON THE DAY BEFORE THE RIGHT DATE. I finished at 1 am.   
> Like, it is almost completely unedited haha.
> 
> It took me so long because I wasn't having any ideas at all. Then, suddenly BAM! This time travel idea xD
> 
> I know, I stretched the theme quite a bit on this one, but I like the idea of a time travel romance and the confusions that different social rules regarding dating/courtship would make.
> 
> By the way, Francis is just a historian who was doing his job when Arthur decided to go along with him.  
> And by the way 2: Arthur is VERY experienced in gay sex on this fanfic B) just saying (I LOVE the idea of Victorian gentlemen being big perverts and meting other gentlemen in secret for big gay orgies *-*)
> 
> Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed it! Leave a kudo and a comment if you liked this story s2
> 
> Friendly reminder that you can always help the writer by giving a kudo and a comment ;D I feed on them (and I try to answer every single one of them too s2)
> 
> And you can follow me on tumblr if you want :D frukheaven.tumblr.com
> 
> I hope I’ll see ya tomorrow =3
> 
> Bye-bye! o/


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